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Tomer Shenar

Publications and source records attributed to Tomer Shenar.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

The excess of cool supergiants from contemporary stellar evolution models defies the metallicity-independent Humphreys-Davidson limit

The Humphreys-Davidson (HD) limit empirically defines a region of high luminosities (log L > 5.5) and low effective temperatures (T < 20kK) on the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram in which hardly any supergiant stars are observed. Attempts to explain this limit through instabilities arising in near- or super-Eddington winds have been largely unsuccessful. Using modern stellar evolution we aim to re-examine the HD limit, investigating the impact of enhanced mixing on massive stars. We construct grids of stellar evolution models appropriate for the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds (SMC, LMC), as well as for the Galaxy, spanning various initial rotation rates and convective overshooting parameters. Significantly enhanced mixing apparently steers stellar evolution tracks away from the region of the HD limit. To quantify the excess of over-luminous stars in stellar evolution simulations we generate synthetic populations of massive stars, and make detailed comparisons with catalogues of cool (T < 12.5kK) and luminous (log L > 4.7) stars in the SMC and LMC. We find that adjustments to the mixing parameters can lead to agreement between the observed and simulated red supergiant populations, but for hotter supergiants the simulations always over-predict the number of very luminous (log L > 5.4) stars compared to observations. The excess of luminous supergiants decreases for enhanced mixing, possibly hinting at an important role mixing has in explaining the HD limit. Still, the HD limit remains unexplained for hotter supergiants.

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The First Dynamical Mass Determination of a Nitrogen-rich Wolf-Rayet Star using a Combined Visual and Spectroscopic Orbit

We present the first visual orbit for the nitrogen-rich Wolf-Rayet binary, WR 133 (WN5o + O9I) based on observations made with the CHARA Array and the MIRC-X combiner. This orbit represents the first visual orbit for a WN star and only the third Wolf-Rayet star with a visual orbit. The orbit has a period of 112.8 d, a moderate eccentricity of 0.36, and a separation of $a$= 0.79 mas on the sky. We combine the visual orbit with an SB2 orbit and Gaia parallax to find that the derived masses of the component stars are $M_{\rm WR}$ = $9.3\pm1.6 M_\odot$ and $M_{\rm O}$ = $22.6\pm 3.2 M_\odot$, with the large errors owing to the nearly face-on geometry of the system combined with errors in the spectroscopic parameters. We also derive an orbital parallax that is identical to the {\it Gaia}-determined distance. We present a preliminary spectral analysis and atmosphere models of the component stars, and find the mass-loss rate in agreement with polarization variability and our orbit. However, the derived masses are low compared to the spectral types and spectral model. Given the close binary nature, we suspect that WR 133 should have formed through binary interactions, and represents an ideal target for testing evolutionary models given its membership in the cluster NGC 6871.

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BAT99 126: A multiple Wolf-Rayet system in the Large Magellanic Cloud with a massive near-contact binary

BAT99 126 is a multiple system in the Large Magellanic Cloud containing a Wolf-Rayet (WR) star, which has a reported spectroscopic (orbital) period of 25.5 days and a photometric (orbital) period of 1.55 days, and hence is potentially one of the shortest WR binaries known to date. Such short-period binary systems containing a WR star in low-metallicity environments are prime candidate progenitors of black-hole (BH) mergers. By thoroughly analysing the spectroscopic and photometric data, we aim to establish the true multiplicity of BAT99 126, characterise the orbit(s) of the system, measure the physical properties of its individual components, and determine the overall evolutionary status of the system. Using newly acquired high resolution spectra, we measured radial velocities and performed a spectral analysis of the individual components. We estimated the age of the system and derived an evolutionary scenario for the 1.55-day system. BAT99 126 comprises at least four components. The 1.55-day photometric signal originates in an eclipsing O+O binary of spectral types O4 V and O6.5 V, and masses of 36+/-5 MSun and 15+/-2 MSun, respectively. For the WR star, we derived a spectral type WN2.5-3 and reject the previously reported 25.5-d period. We find evidence in the composite spectra of a fourth component, a B1 V star, which shows radial velocity variation. The configurations of the B-type star, WR star, and possible additional undetected components remain unknown. We estimated the age of the system to be 4.2 Myr. The O+O binary likely went through a phase of conservative mass transfer and is currently a near-contact system. We show that BAT99 126 is a multiple - quadruple or higher-order - system with a total initial mass > 160 MSun. The 1.55-day O+O binary most likely will not evolve towards a BH+BH merger, but instead will merge before the components collapse to BHs.

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A spectroscopic multiplicity survey of Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars. I. The northern WC sequence

It is now well established that the majority of massive stars reside in multiple systems. However, the effect of multiplicity is not sufficiently understood, resulting in a plethora of uncertainties about the end stages of massive-star evolution. In order to investigate these uncertainties, it is useful to study massive stars just before their demise. Classical Wolf-Rayet stars represent the final end stages of stars at the upper-mass end. The multiplicity fraction of these stars was reported to be ${\sim}0.4$ in the Galaxy but no correction for observational biases has been attempted. The aim of this study is to conduct a homogeneous radial-velocity survey of a magnitude-limited ($V$ $\leq 12$) sample of Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars to derive their bias-corrected multiplicity properties. The present paper focuses on 12 northern Galactic carbon-rich (WC) Wolf-Rayet stars observable with the 1.2m Mercator telescope on the island of La Palma. We homogeneously measured relative radial velocities (RVs) for carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet stars using cross-correlation. Variations in the derived RVs were used to flag binary candidates. We investigated probable orbital configurations and provide a first correction of observational biases through Monte-Carlo simulations. Of the 12 northern Galactic WC stars in our sample, seven show peak-to-peak RV variations larger than 10 km s$^{-1}$, which we adopt as our detection threshold. This results in an observed spectroscopic multiplicity fraction of 0.58 with a binomial error of 0.14. In our campaign, we find a clear lack of short-period (P~$<~\sim$100\,d), indicating that a large number of Galactic WC binaries likely reside in long-period systems. Finally, our simulations show that at the 10% significance level, the intrinsic multiplicity fraction of the Galactic WC population is at least 0.72.

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No signature of the orbital motion of a putative 70 solar mass black hole in LB-1

Liu et al. (2019) recently reported the detection of a 68 [+11/-13] solar mass (Msun) black hole (BH) paired with an 8.2 [+0.9/-1.2] Msun B-type sub-giant star in the 78.9-day spectroscopic binary system LB-1. Such a black hole is over twice as massive as any other known stellar-mass black hole with non-compact companions2 and its mass approaches those that result from BH-BH coalescences that are detected by gravitational wave interferometers. Its presence in a solar-like metallicity environment challenges conventional theories of massive binary evolution, stellar winds and core-collapse supernovae, so that more exotic scenarios seem to be needed to explain the existence and properties of LB-1. Here, we show that the observational diagnostics used to derive the BH mass results from the orbital motion of the B-type star, not that of the BH. As a consequence, no evidence for a massive BH remains in the data, therefore solving the existing tension with formation models of such a massive BH at solar metallicity and with theories of massive star evolution in general.

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Clues on the Origin and Evolution of Massive Contact Binaries: Atmosphere Analysis of VFTS 352

The massive O4.5 V + O5.5 V binary VFTS 352 in the Tarantula nebula is one of the shortest-period and most massive overcontact binaries known. Recent theoretical studies indicate that some of these systems could ultimately lead to the formation of gravitational waves via black hole binary mergers through the chemically homogeneous evolution pathway. By analyzing ultraviolet-optical phase-resolved spectroscopic data, we aim to constrain atmospheric and wind properties that could be later used to confront theoretical predictions from binary evolution. In particular, surface abundances are powerful diagnostics of the evolutionary status, mass transfer and the internal mixing processes. From a set of 32 VLT/FLAMES visual and 8 HST/COS ultraviolet spectra, we used spectral disentangling to separate the primary and secondary components. Using a genetic algorithm wrapped around the NLTE model atmosphere and spectral synthesis code FASTWIND, we perform an 11-parameter optimization to derive the atmospheric and wind parameters of both components, including the surface abundances of He, C, N, O and Si. We find that both components are hotter than expected compared to single-star evolutionary models indicating that additional mixing processes may be at play. However the derived chemical abundances do not show significant indications of mixing when adopting baseline values typical for the system environment.

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The Galactic WC and WO stars: The impact of revised distances from Gaia DR2 and their role as massive black hole progenitors

Wolf-Rayet stars of the carbon sequence (WC stars) are an important cornerstone in the late evolution of massive stars before their core collapse. As core-helium burning, hydrogen-free objects with huge mass-loss, they are likely the last observable stage before collapse and thus promising progenitor candidates for type Ib/c supernovae. Their strong mass-loss furthermore provides challenges and constraints to the theory of radiatively driven winds. Thus, the determination of the WC star parameters is of major importance for several astrophysical fields. With Gaia DR2, for the first time parallaxes for a large sample of Galactic WC stars are available, removing major uncertainties inherent to earlier studies. In this work, we re-examine the sample from Sander et al. (2012) to derive key properties of the Galactic WC population. All quantities depending on the distance are updated, while the underlying spectral analyses remain untouched. Contrasting earlier assumptions, our study yields that WC stars of the same subtype can significantly vary in absolute magnitude. With Gaia DR2, the picture of the Galactic WC population becomes more complex: We obtain luminosities ranging from log L = 4.9 to 6.0 with one outlier having log L = 4.7. This indicates that the WC stars are likely formed from a broader initial mass range than previously assumed. We obtain mass-loss rates ranging between log Mdot = -5.1 and -4.1, with Mdot propto L^0.68 and a linear scaling of the modified wind momentum with luminosity. We discuss the implications for stellar evolution, including unsolved issues regarding the need of envelope inflation to address the WR radius problem, and the open questions in regard to the connection of WR stars with Gamma-ray bursts. WC and WO stars are progenitors of massive black holes, collapsing either silently or in a supernova that most-likely has to be preceded by a WO stage.

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A BRITE view on the massive O-type supergiant V973 Scorpii: Hints towards internal gravity waves or subsurface convection zones

Stochastically-triggered photospheric light variations reaching $\sim$$40$ mmag peak-to-valley amplitudes have been detected in the O8Iaf supergiant V973 Scorpii as the outcome of two months of high-precision time-resolved photometric observations with the BRIght Target Explorer (BRITE) nanosatellites. The amplitude spectrum of the time series photometry exhibits a pronounced broad bump in the low-frequency regime ($\lesssim$$0.9$ d$^{-1}$) where several prominent frequencies are detected. A time-frequency analysis of the observations reveals typical mode lifetimes of the order of $5-10$ days. The overall features of the observed brightness amplitude spectrum of V973 Sco match well with those extrapolated from two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of convectively-driven internal gravity waves randomly excited from deep in the convective cores of massive stars. An alternative or additional possible source of excitation from a subsurface convection zone needs to be explored in future theoretical investigations.

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Coupling hydrodynamics with comoving frame radiative transfer: II. Stellar wind stratification in the high-mass X-ray binary Vela X-1

CONTEXT: Vela X-1, a prototypical high mass X-ray binary (HMXB), hosts a neutron star (NS) in a close orbit around an early-B supergiant donor star. Accretion of the donor star's wind onto the NS powers its strong X-ray luminosity. To understand the physics of HMXBs, detailed knowledge about the donor star winds is required. AIMS: To gain a realistic picture of the donor star in Vela X-1, we constructed a hydrodynamically consistent atmosphere model describing the wind stratification while properly reproducing the observed donor spectrum. To investigate how X-ray illumination affects the stellar wind, we calculated additional models for different X-ray luminosity regimes. METHODS: We use the recently updated version of the PoWR code to consistently solve the hydrodynamic equation together with the statistical equations and the radiative transfer. RESULTS: The wind flow in Vela X-1 is driven by ions from various elements with Fe III and S III leading in the outer wind. The model-predicted mass-loss rate is in line with earlier empirical studies. The mass-loss rate is almost unaffected by the presence of the accreting NS in the wind. The terminal wind velocity is confirmed at $v_\infty \approx 600$ km/s. On the other hand, the wind velocity in the inner region where the NS is located is only $\approx 100$ km/s, which is not expected on the basis of a standard $β$-velocity law. In models with an enhanced level of X-rays, the velocity field in the outer wind can be altered. If the X-ray flux is too high, the acceleration breaks down because the ionization increases. CONCLUSIONS: Accounting for radiation hydrodynamics, our Vela X-1 donor atmosphere model reveals a low wind speed at the NS location, and it provides quantitative information on wind driving in this important HMXB.

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BRITE-Constellation high-precision time-dependent photometry of the early-O-type supergiant $ζ$ Puppis unveils the photospheric drivers of its small- and large-scale wind structures

From $5.5$ months of dual-band optical photometric monitoring at the $1$ mmag level, BRITE-Constellation has revealed two simultaneous types of variability in the O4I(n)fp star $ζ$ Puppis: one single periodic non-sinusoidal component superimposed on a stochastic component. The monoperiodic component is the $1.78$ d signal previously detected by Coriolis/SMEI, but this time along with a prominent first harmonic. The shape of this signal changes over time, a behaviour that is incompatible with stellar oscillations but consistent with rotational modulation arising from evolving bright surface inhomogeneities. By means of a constrained non-linear light curve inversion algorithm we mapped the locations of the bright surface spots and traced their evolution. Our simultaneous ground-based multi-site spectroscopic monitoring of the star unveiled cyclical modulation of its He II $\lambda4686$ wind emission line with the $1.78$-day rotation period, showing signatures of Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) that turn out to be driven by the bright photospheric spots observed by BRITE. Traces of wind clumps are also observed in the He II $\lambda4686$ line and are correlated with the amplitudes of the stochastic component of the light variations probed by BRITE at the photosphere, suggesting that the BRITE observations additionally unveiled the photospheric drivers of wind clumps in $ζ$ Pup and that the clumping phenomenon starts at the very base of the wind. The origins of both the bright surface inhomogeneities and the stochastic light variations remain unknown, but a subsurface convective zone might play an important role in the generation of these two types of photospheric variability.

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The variability of the BRITE-est Wolf-Rayet binary, $γ^2$ Velorum I. Photometric and spectroscopic evidence for colliding winds

We report on the first multi-color precision light curve of the bright Wolf-Rayet binary $γ^2$ Velorum, obtained over six months with the nanosatellites in the BRITE- Constellation fleet. In parallel, we obtained 488 high-resolution optical spectra of the system. In this first report on the datasets, we revise the spectroscopic orbit and report on the bulk properties of the colliding winds. We find a dependence of both the light curve and excess emission properties that scales with the inverse of the binary separation. When analyzing the spectroscopic properties in combination with the photometry, we find that the phase dependence is caused only by excess emission in the lines, and not from a changing continuum. We also detect a narrow, high-velocity absorption component from the He I $λ$5876 transition, which appears twice in the orbit. We calculate smoothed-particle hydrodynamical simulations of the colliding winds and can accurately associate the absorption from He I to the leading and trailing arms of the wind shock cone passing tangentially through our line of sight. The simulations also explain the general strength and kinematics of the emission excess observed in wind lines such as C III $λ$5696 of the system. These results represent the first in a series of investigations into the winds and properties of $γ^2$ Velorum through multi-technique and multi-wavelength observational campaigns.

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Coupling hydrodynamics with comoving frame radiative transfer: I. A unified approach for OB and WR stars

CONTEXT: For more than two decades, stellar atmosphere codes have been used to derive the stellar and wind parameters of massive stars. Although they have become a powerful tool and sufficiently reproduce the observed spectral appearance, they can hardly be used for more than measuring parameters. One major obstacle is their inconsistency between the calculated radiation field and the wind stratification due to the usage of prescribed mass-loss rates and wind-velocity fields. AIMS: We present the concepts for a new generation of hydrodynamically consistent non-local thermodynamical equilibrium (non-LTE) stellar atmosphere models that allow for detailed studies of radiation-driven stellar winds. As a first demonstration, this new kind of model is applied to a massive O star. METHODS: Based on earlier works, the PoWR code has been extended with the option to consistently solve the hydrodynamic equation together with the statistical equations and the radiative transfer in order to obtain a hydrodynamically consistent atmosphere stratification. In these models, the whole velocity field is iteratively updated together with an adjustment of the mass-loss rate. RESULTS: The concepts for obtaining hydrodynamically consistent models using a comoving-frame radiative transfer are outlined. To provide a useful benchmark, we present a demonstration model, which was motivated to describe the well-studied O4 supergiant Zeta Pup. The obtained stellar and wind parameters are within the current range of literature values. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, the PoWR code has been used to obtain a hydrodynamically consistent model for a massive O star. This has been achieved by a profound revision of earlier concepts used for Wolf-Rayet stars. The velocity field is shaped by various elements contributing to the radiative acceleration, especially in the outer wind. (...)

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Massive stars in advanced evolutionary stages, and the progenitor of GW150914

The recent discovery of a gravitational wave from the merging of two black holes of about 30 solar masses each challenges our incomplete understanding of massive stars and their evolution. Critical ingredients comprise mass-loss, rotation, magnetic fields, internal mixing, and mass transfer in close binary systems. The imperfect knowledge of these factors implies large uncertainties for models of stellar populations and their feedback. In this contribution we summarize our empirical studies of Wolf-Rayet populations at different metallicities by means of modern non-LTE stellar atmosphere models, and confront these results with the predictions of stellar evolution models. At the metallicity of our Galaxy, stellar winds are probably too strong to leave remnant masses as high as 30 solar masses, but given the still poor agreement between evolutionary tracks and observation even this conclusion is debatable. At the low metallicity of the Small Magellanic Cloud, all WN stars which are (at least now) single are consistent with evolving quasi-homogeneously. O and B-type stars, in contrast, seem to comply with standard evolutionary models without strong internal mixing. Close binaries which avoided early merging could evolve quasi-homogeneously and lead to close compact remnants of relatively high masses that merge within a Hubble time.

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WR 148: Identifying the companion of an extreme runaway massive binary

WR 148 (HD 197406) is an extreme runaway system considered to be a potential candidate for a short-period (4.3173 d) rare WR + compact object binary. Provided with new high resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra from the Keck observatory, we determine the orbital parameters for both the primary WR and the secondary, yielding respective projected orbital velocity amplitudes of $88.1\pm3.8$ km s$^{-1}$ and $79.2\pm3.1$ km s$^{-1}$ and implying a mass ratio of $1.1\pm0.1$. We then apply the shift-and-add technique to disentangle the spectra and obtain spectra compatible with a WN7ha and an O4-6 star. Considering an orbital inclination of $\sim67^\circ$, derived from previous polarimetry observations, the system's total mass would be a mere 2-3 M$_{\odot}$ , an unprecedented result for a putative massive binary system. However, a system comprising a 37 M$_{\odot}$ secondary (typical mass of an O5V star) and a 33 M$_{\odot}$ primary (given the mass ratio) would infer an inclination of $\sim18^\circ$. We therefore reconsider the previous methods of deriving the orbital inclination based on time-dependent polarimetry and photometry. While the polarimetric results are inconclusive requiring better data, the photometric results favour low inclinations. Finally, we compute WR 148's space velocity and retrace the runaway's trajectory back to the Galactic plane (GP). With an ejection velocity of $198\pm27$ km s$^{-1}$ and a travel time of $4.7\pm0.8$ Myr to reach its current location, WR 148 was most likely ejected via dynamical interactions in a young cluster.

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The CHARA Array resolves the long-period Wolf-Rayet binaries WR 137 and WR 138

We report on interferometric observations with the CHARA Array of two classical Wolf-Rayet stars in suspected binary systems, namely WR 137 and WR 138. In both cases, we resolve the component stars to be separated by a few milliarcseconds. The data were collected in the H-band, and provide a measure of the fractional flux for both stars in each system. We find that the WR star is the dominant H-band light source in both systems ($f_{\rm WR, 137} = 0.59\pm0.04$; $f_{\rm WR, 138} = 0.67\pm0.01$), which is confirmed through both comparisons with estimated fundamental parameters for WR stars and O dwarfs, as well as through spectral modeling of each system. Our spectral modeling also provides fundamental parameters for the stars and winds in these systems. The results on WR 138 provide evidence that it is a binary system which may have gone through a previous mass-transfer episode to create the WR star. The separation and position of the stars in the WR 137 system together with previous results from the IOTA interferometer provides evidence that the binary is seen nearly edge-on. The possible edge-on orbit of WR 137 aligns well with the dust production site imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope during a previous periastron passage, showing that the dust production may be concentrated in the orbital plane.

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Probing Wolf-Rayet Winds: Chandra/HETG X-Ray Spectra of WR 6

With a deep Chandra/HETGS exposure of WR 6, we have resolved emission lines whose profiles show that the X-rays originate from a uniformly expanding spherical wind of high X-ray-continuum optical depth. The presence of strong helium-like forbidden lines places the source of X-ray emission at tens to hundreds of stellar radii from the photosphere. Variability was present in X-rays and simultaneous optical photometry, but neither were correlated with the known period of the system or with each other. An enhanced abundance of sodium revealed nuclear processed material, a quantity related to the evolutionary state of the star. The characterization of the extent and nature of the hot plasma in WR 6 will help to pave the way to a more fundamental theoretical understanding of the winds and evolution of massive stars.

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A Coordinated X-ray and Optical Campaign of the Nearest Massive Eclipsing Binary, delta Orionis Aa: III. Analysis of Optical Photometric MOST and Spectroscopic (Ground Based) Variations

We report on both high-precision photometry from the MOST space telescope and ground-based spectroscopy of the triple system delta Ori A consisting of a binary O9.5II+early-B (Aa1 and Aa2) with P = 5.7d, and a more distant tertiary (O9 IV P > 400 yrs). This data was collected in concert with X-ray spectroscopy from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Thanks to continuous coverage for 3 weeks, the MOST light curve reveals clear eclipses between Aa1 and Aa2 for the first time in non-phased data. From the spectroscopy we have a well constrained radial velocity curve of Aa1. While we are unable to recover radial velocity variations of the secondary star, we are able to constrain several fundamental parameters of this system and determine an approximate mass of the primary using apsidal motion. We also detected second order modulations at 12 separate frequencies with spacings indicative of tidally influenced oscillations. These spacings have never been seen in a massive binary, making this system one of only a handful of such binaries which show evidence for tidally induced pulsations.

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On the consistent treatment of the quasi-hydrostatic layers in hot star atmospheres

CONTEXT: Spectroscopic analysis remains the most common method to derive masses of massive stars, the most fundamental stellar parameter. While binary orbits and stellar pulsations can provide much sharper constraints on the stellar mass, these methods are only rarely applicable to massive stars. Unfortunately, spectroscopic masses of massive stars heavily depend on the detailed physics of model atmospheres. AIMS: We demonstrate the impact of a consistent treatment of the radiative pressure on inferred gravities and spectroscopic masses of massive stars. Specifically, we investigate the contribution of line and continuum transitions to the photospheric radiative pressure. We further explore the effect of model parameters, e.g., abundances, on the deduced spectroscopic mass. Lastly, we compare our results with the plane-parallel TLUSTY code, commonly used for the analysis of massive stars with photospheric spectra. METHODS: We calculate a small set of O-star models with the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) code using different approaches for the quasi-hydrostatic part. These models allow us to quantify the effect of accounting for the radiative pressure consistently. We further use PoWR models to show how the Doppler widths of line profiles and abundances of elements such as iron affect the radiative pressure, and, as a consequence, the derived spectroscopic masses. RESULTS: Our study implies that errors on the order of a factor of two in the inferred spectroscopic mass are to be expected when neglecting the contribution of line and continuum transitions to the radiative acceleration in the photosphere. Usage of implausible microturbulent velocities, or the neglect of important opacity sources such as Fe, may result in errors of approximately 50% in the spectroscopic mass. A comparison with TLUSTY model atmospheres reveals a very good agreement with PoWR at the limit of low mass-loss rates.

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